Gardening apparatuses capable of creating holes in dirt or other growing mediums, such as rockwool, are well known in the art. However, the gardening apparatuses described in the prior art are overly complex, difficult to use, and expensive. These negative attributes are due in part to the fact that the prior art teaches such apparatuses use several components, many of which utilize moving parts to create holes.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,273,930 to Gottfried discloses a hand-operated device capable of extracting soil from the ground. To operate the Gottfried device, a user presses a serrated edge of the device into the ground and twists the device to loosen the soil and roots. Once a desired depth has been achieved, the user lifts the device to extract the soil. The user must then press down on a knob to expel the collected soil from the device. Not only do the moving components make this device unnecessarily complex and cumbersome, but the twisting motion required to break up the soil and roots results in a hole that is neither neat nor conducive to receiving plants.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,707,197 to Walesch et al. discloses a similar device for removing a core of ground. To operate, a user places a large cylinder on the ground and presses down on the device using a handle. Pressing down on the handle causes a rod within the cylinder to penetrate the ground and, upon pulling up on the handle, remove a core of dirt. This device too is complicated because of the use of moving components. Furthermore, the Walesch et al. device is bulky and cumbersome, making it less functional and appealing to users.
The prior art illuminates a clear deficiency in existing hole-creating gardening devices. Therefore, there exists a previously unappreciated need for a new and improved growing medium cutting tool that is simple to operate, relatively inexpensive, and easy to transport. The present invention overcomes the above-described disadvantages of presently existing growing medium cutting tools.
It is to these ends that the present invention has been developed.